Marlins@Diamondbacks: Breaking Down the Starters We’ll See

After a another sweep at the hands of the Giants, the Diamondbacks look to find the mojo they had in Texas when they swept the Rangers to get back to .500.

Simply put the Diamondbacks have to take advantage of their longest stay at Chase Field. They are in the middle leg as they welcome the Miami Marlins to Chase Field, a team that has struggled all year at 38-44.

Their best player Giancarlo Stanton has been out since June and he won’t rerun to the team in August. Martin Prado will return to Chase Field for the first time since being dealt to the Yankees at last years Trade Deadline.

This series will feature the 2 best hitters based on batting average in the National League. Paul Goldschmidt is 1st with a .340 average and Dee Gordon isn’t to far behind at .338. It’s time to break down the starting pitching matchups for the series!

Rubby De La Rosa looks to stop the bleeding for the Diamondbacks. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1: RHP David Phelps (4-5 3.86 ERA) vs. RHP Rubby De La Rosa (6-5 5.06 ERA) 

I feel like I say this every night but the key for the Arizona Diamondbacks to have success especially as of late is the ability to keep the ball in the ballpark and nobody embodies that better than tonight’s starter RHP Rubby De La Rosa.

De La Rosa has lost his last 2 starts giving up 10 runs in 8 and 2/3 innings. De La Rosa has given up 21 home runs already this season which is 3rd in the major leagues behind the Twins Phil Hughes and the Rockies Kyle Kendrick. He needs to keep the ball in the park. If he does that he can have success. His best outing this season came in Miami when he gave up 2 runs in 9 innings earning a no-decision.

Lefties are killing De La Rosa. They have clubbed 15 homers off him.

Many of you probably recognize the name David Phelps from his time as a starter and a reliever with the Yankees. Phelps is making his 15th start and his 19th appearance of the season. He faced the Dbacks in May when he gave up 4 runs in 5 innings.

Phelps has a fastball which he throws 59% of the time, a cutter at 16.6% of the time, a curveball at 13.3% of the time, and he will mix an occasional changeup. When he is on he gets mostly ground ball outs. He has 118 ground ball outs and 98 fly ball outs. Phelps has a 0.96 ERA in July.

Game 2: RHP Mat Latos (3-6 4.90 ERA) vs. RHP Jeremy Hellickson (6-5 5.04 ERA)

Jul 8, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson (58) throws during the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Jeremy Hellickson simply needs to go longer into ball games because he hasn’t done that this season. He has completed 7 innings just once in 19 starts. He has 3 career no-decisions against the Marlins.

Hellickson has given up 13 homers and also needs to keep the ball in the park. Not to many of the Marlins history have much of a history against the Diamondbacks RHP so hopefully he can go 7 or 8 innings.

Latos was scratched from his last start with a sore right foot, and will be on the mound for the 1st time since July 5th. Despite a down year, Latos has been good as of late. In his last 5 starts he is 2-2 with a 3.31 ERA. He features a fastball, slider, curveball, and changeup. He uses his fastball (63%) and his slider (14%) the most. Latos is also at his best when he is getting ground balls.

He is 4-1 with a 3.32 ERA in his career against the Snakes including 3-0 with a 1.60 ERA at Chase Field.

Game 3: RHP Jose Fernandez (2-0 2.37 ERA) vs. LHP Robby Ray (3-4 2.29 ERA) 

Jul 17, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Fernandez (16) pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Sundays game will be fun for one reason. One of the best young pitchers in the game in Jose Fernandez will face possibly the best hitter in baseball in Paul Goldschmidt.

In just 3 starts since his return to Miami, Fernandez has struck out 21 and walked just 1 in 19 innings. He received a no-decision in his last start against the Phillies throwing 70 pitches in 5 innings. Like Corbin he is on a pitch count limit.

Fernandez is 0-1 with a 2.45 ERA against the Diamondbacks.

Since he has joined the rotation Robbie Ray has been the Diamondbacks best pitcher. He has given up 2 runs or fewer in 7 of his 9 starts. He has never pitched against the Marlins.